Lotte Kopecky will ride Sunday's World Championship time trial as the new European Champion, with the confidence of her latest title and the desire to win another.
The 28-year-old Belgian is the outgoing road race world champion but has a real chance to become the first Belgian woman to win the time trial world title.
Her biggest rivals include Grace Brown of Australia, Ellen Van Dijk and Demi Vollering of the Netherlands and the USA's Chloé Dygert. Kopecky beat Van Dijk by 43 seconds just ten days ago on a flat Limburg circuit and has found some excellent end-of-season form.
"The European Championship was important for me," Kopecky said in the Belgian pre-race press conference at the team hotel, 30 minutes outside of Zurich.
"The time trial at the Paris Games also felt good despite my fall and the European Championships confirmed my progression. I hope it continues at the World Championships.
"I'll try to follow the plan we've drawn up but the form on the day determines a lot. I'd be very happy with a podium place, that's what I've set my sights on, but the recent European Championship gave me confidence. I think a podium is definitely possible if I have a super day."
The 29.9km Zurich course has a rolling first half and the 2.4km gradual climb to Uetikon am See, which also marks the first intermediate time check.
"A climb in a big time trial is something new to me but it's not a disadvantage," Kopecky said.
She rode the time trial course on Friday and will return for the official closed-road reconnaissance on Saturday.
"It is not super technical, certainly not the beginning and end, but there are two or three tough climbs with fast descents that you have to ride carefully but at high speed, even on some blind spots," she said.
Kopecky is multi-talented and raced on the road and track at the Paris Olympics and is on a journey of discovery in time trials as she works to improve. She has won Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, the Tour de France stages and the classification at other stage races and knows that time trials are vital for stage race success and even a shot at the GC of the Tour de France Femmes.
She has the physical talents and just needs further time trial experience. She has improved significantly since winning six consecutive time trial titles at the Belgian Championships during her career and finishing fifth in the 2023 European Championships and third in the 2023 Tour de France Femmes time trial.
She is currently the reigning Belgian and European Champion in 2024.
"I have never been on my time trial bike as much as in the past few months. I am starting to enjoy it more and more," she explained.
"I'm not the favourite, I think the world title will go to Chloé Dygert, who can also ride well on the climb. or maybe Grace Brown, too. I include Demi Vollering among the podium candidates but hope to be amongst them, too."
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